Archive for the ‘play’ Category

Black Frost CDA (NHB115) Black Frost CDA (NHB115)

Wednesday, September 9th, 2020

Been a few years since I brewed this wonderful CDA. Followed the 2011 recipe, but swapping out the Cascade with our own NHB115. The alphas are almost identical, so converting the recipe wasn’t a problem. Details The chocolate should be mixed with the light malt. However, the patent and roast need to be finely ground […]

Mt Adams (car to car) Mt Adams (car to car)

Monday, August 17th, 2020

I try to find time to climb Mt Adams each year. It is a beautiful mountain and the climbing route offers majestic views and a reasonable challenge without being too technical. In past years, I always opted for a standard two-day climb. During the first day you haul a heavy pack up the “lunch counter” […]

A new discovery inside Folgers Cave A new discovery inside Folgers Cave

Sunday, July 26th, 2020

Let’s start at the end: while exploring one of my favorite caves in the area, we discovered a new, unexplored section. The size of the cave section was not immediately apparent as entering the area require ropes. Upon returning, we discovered that it was a single 20’x20′ room. Still, it was cool to be the […]

Micro hop plucker/stripper Micro hop plucker/stripper

Monday, September 17th, 2018

The need You may have noticed that I am a bit obsessed with hops. Currently, I am running three small yards for our experimental hop breeding program. Hops are wonderful to grow, but can be a real pain to pick. Hand picking takes about 1 hour per plant – meanwhile, picking machines cost hundreds-of-thousands of […]

Masonry (tips and tricks) Masonry (tips and tricks)

Thursday, August 23rd, 2018

We just completed a modest basalt wall in our back yard. Over the course of the build, we learned many, many things. I wanted to take some quick notes for the next time we tackle a project like this. The rock Real basalt is a beautiful and extremely strong volcanic stone. It is also much, […]

Nesika after the burn Nesika after the burn

Tuesday, May 22nd, 2018

Spent the weekend in the off-limits area of the Columbia River burn. I was with other members of the Oregon Trails Club doing repairs and maintenance on the Nesika lodge site. Two of the three buildings were lost in the fire, but the main lodge amazingly remained undamaged. We spent most of the weekend clearing […]

Mt Hood 2018 Mt Hood 2018

Tuesday, May 22nd, 2018

In early march, my buddy and I decided to take a quick trip up hood. The conditions sounded optimal, but there was bad weather on the horizon. After waiting a few days for the thunderstorms to clear, we found ourselves signing in at the climbing register late one night. Cold temps kept the snow firm […]

Wild hops in the United States Wild hops in the United States

Wednesday, March 21st, 2018

As you may have noticed, I am a bit … obsessed … about hops. So, I was stoked when Michael contacted me in the comments about some seedling that his garden club students were growing: My students (high school garden club) collected seeds from the hills west of Pueblo, Colorado, and have been successful in germinating a few seeds. […]

2017 Solar Eclipse 2017 Solar Eclipse

Thursday, August 24th, 2017

The 2017 solar eclipse has come, and gone – but it left a strong impression. So much so, that I am already considering how to travel to the next one in the US: 2024. We viewed it from my brothers property just south of Philomath, OR. The hour leading up to totality was interesting enough, […]

'Summit' of Mt. Saint Helens ‘Summit’ of Mt. Saint Helens

Tuesday, June 6th, 2017

Last week, I climbed Mt. Hood. Today, we went up Mt. Saint Helens. Going up Sam snagged some last minute permits and we drove out to the Worm Flows parking lot. This is the winter route. It adds an extra few miles and 1000 extra feet of elevation, but is was well worth it. After […]